Chapter 3 Welcome to the pack

Lydia felt as though she she had died and then been forced back into being. The other night had ended so abruptly, she didn't know what time is was. The light blazing into her eyelids alerted her immediately that it was day time. Her back ached, as did her feet and arms. Everything seemed to have a hurt to it. "You know-if you don't wake up now, you might not be able to fall asleep tonight." came a voice. Someone was in the room with her. With that saying, Lydia would suppose it had been her mother stopping her from enjoying an afternoon nap.

"I don't care-just let me sleep." Lydia grumbled. There was a hard laugh and Lydia felt her body tipping softly to the side. The mattress she supposed was under her, felt soft and warm against her bruised feeling arm. "You won't have the full benefits of my teaching unless you wake up now. At least open your eyes, Lydia." Lydia's eyes snapped open. "How did you know my name?" With her eyes still groggy, Lydia couldn't see who it was in front of her. Blinking a few times, Lydia reached up and wearily rubbed her eyes.

There was a man maybe only a few years old then her, sitting at the edge of the bed, looking down at her. He had a rough physique and short cropped black hair. His hazel eyes crinkled into a grin as he looked down at her. "You gave us something of a scare the other night. I had been waiting for you to escape. I had only hoped you would've allowed Gustav to make it so that you could run without having to go through your first transformation. Honestly I would have rather been there."

Lydia gulped and continued to blink, still being slightly asleep. "Transformation?" The man nodded. "Yes. The first of many I'm afraid. Had you been calmer, I might've come down to help you through it but since you decided to be so obstinant-" he gave a grin as though he were pleased with how she had reacted to being captured. "Who are you?" Lydia asked, letting out a yawn. The man smiled. "My name is Matthias. But you may call me Matt." "What am I doing here? Where are we?" Matt smiled. "So full of questions. I enjoy that. You're in my family home, more specifically in my room. It's located in the Rocky Mountains. You have only been lucky enough that my pack and I have decided we needed a female."

Lydia furrowed her brow. "Excuse me? I should be lucky?" Matt stood up and walked away for a moment. Lydia, feeling slightly better then she had the other day, slowly sat up and leaned heavily against the headboard. Matt leaned against the huge bay windows, looking outside. "Yes- -I'm certain you have seen how we dispose of those we don't need. The news is having a field day; and yes, we do get the news shows out here." Lydia rubbed her arms, tucking the warm covers up to her neck. "But how did you find me?" Matt smiled out the window. "Well I enjoy roaming the countryside at night. Especially in the town where we found you." "Chadton?" Matt nodded. "It's quiet there...the forest is lovely. There's one place in particular I love to sit and watch from. A place called Widows Peak, I believe?"

Lydia nodded and chewed her lower lip. Widows Peak was one of her favorite spots out in the woods. She had often sat atop the precipice and looked down into the wonders of the Earth. Matt looked deep in thought again and Lydia looked over to the door, wondering if perhaps she might risk another escape. Taking another glance back at Matt as he gazed out the window, Lydia lifted the covers slowly so as not to raise his attention. She kept her eyes ahead raptly, to make it seem as though she were still listening to what wasn't being said as she moved her legs to get out of bed. The jingle of chains alerted her.

Matt looked to the ground as Lydia looked under the covers. Someone had chained her ankle to the bed. "I figured you might want to try and run again so I took the liberty of attempting to let you hear me out." Lydia glared at Matt. "I don't want to be here. I want to go home." Matt turned towards her, his face placid as if nothing bothered him. "Back to the home of verbal abuse and parental tyranny I took you from?" Matt walked over to the desk nearby and picked up what Lydia recognized as her own personal journal. "You've been sleeping for nearly two days...that gave me plenty of time to read this." Lydia's jaw dropped.

"You READ it?! ALL of it?!" Matt nodded, setting it down on the desk again. Lydia tucked her knees up and rested her forehead against her knees. How dare he, read her personal thoughts and dreams like it were a book he had purchased at a bookstore! Lydia's lower lip trembled. "You're angry now. Aren't you?" Lydia glared up at the man. "Who wouldn't be? You kidnapped me from my home, you're keeping me here prisoner, and you read my personal things. Who couldn't be angry?" Matt's face broke into a small grin.

"Then attack me. Jump off that bed and attack me." Lydia took a deep breath. "I can't. Since you've decided to take a procaution. Otherwise- believe me, you'd be on the ground already." There was a small awkward silence. Matt seemed unmoved by Lydia's threat though she had meant every syllable. "Anger is one of the first lessons you needed to know. Incidentally it's the hardest to learn. Without anger, we'd all be gone." "We?" Lydia asked contempuously. Matt nodded. "Yes...'we'." Lydia shook her head. "Who is we?" Matt sat down next to Lydia. "The pack you're now induced into." "Pack of what?" Matt gave a semi-wicked grin. "Why-a pack of respectable werewolves."